Born in Damascus in 1975, he began his musical education by studying the violin with R. Sukar in his native town. He is a graduate of the Music Academy in Kraków where he studied composition with Zbigniew Bujarski. He won First Prize at the Adam Didur Composers’ Competition in Sanok in 1997 (for Two Songs for soprano and string orchestra). In 1999 he participated in the International Musikwerkstatt Buckow in Germany. His works have been performed in Poland, Germany, Egypt, Tunisia, France, Italy, the United States, Armenia, Syria and Holland (by Nieuw Ensemble in Amsterdam). At present he is an assistant in the composition class of Krzysztof Penderecki at the Music Academy in Kraków.

Selected works: Two Songs for soprano and string orchestra (1997), Adar for string orchestra (1998), Trio Bayat for clarinet, violin and cello (1999), Beati Pacifici for mixed choir (2000), Gesture for violin and piano (2000), Concerto for Violin and Large Symphony Orchestra (2000), For Nahel for trumpet and piano (2001), Miroir for mixed choir (2001), Les temps des pierres for baritone and piano (2001), Gesture II for violin and piano (2002), Chamber Music for string orchestra (2003), Computer Music No. 1 for tape (2003), Levante for two violins and large symphony orchestra (2003), Levante II for large symphony orchestra (2003), Concerto for Clarinet and Large Symphony Orchestra (2004), Levante III for violin and large symphony orchestra (2004), Oriento Grosso for clarinet, cello and orchestra (2004), Concerto for Violin and Symphony Orchestra No. 2 (2005), glyptos for flute and percussion (2005).

The piece glyptos was commissioned by the Warsaw Autumn Festival and is dedicated to Mario Caroli and the Kraków Percussion Group.

Zaid Jabri